I am on week four of my summer nanny duties with my nephews. I think the novelty and loveliness of it all has officially worn off.
My nephews tried every last nerve today. They were bored, tired, irritated and irritating. They were sitting too close, too far away, touching too much and breathing too much of the same air - all at once. At one point on the ride home from swimming lessons I actually flung my arm in the backseat to see what I could grab to get their attention so they would shut up. I think I got a leg, which of course started a new round of arguing of whose leg I should squeeze but each was convinced his brother was really the culprit.
Jordy is pretty easy to take care of. He’s hyper, but at 7 he just wants you to spend time with him. Mikey, at 10, is adopting to his pre-teen ways a little early. He has all the answers. You can’t tell him anything and he doesn’t listen AT ALL. There are moments of fun, sanity and cuteness with him but they are getting fewer and further between the moments where I just want smack him.
The hard part about all of this is that I have no authority. My brother is still in the house, albeit sleeping, so they want to run in there everytime they disagree with me. Today Mikey actually called his mother at work because he wanted his own way. The sad part is, his mom gave into him. UGH!
It has never been established that I’m actually in control and they actually have to listen to me. I’ve tried to bring this up to my brother but he doesn’t get it. He just says I’m getting a taste of parenting. So I wind up just feeling like a glorified maid to make sure that they’re getting fed and don’t hurt themselves. If this is parenting let me stock up now on condoms and the pill. At least with my own kids I get to set the rules.
Tomorrow is a new day. My hope and prayer is that then there will be more moments of cuteness than moments where I want to roll under a moving vehicle out of frustration.
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